Sinking Sundarbans - Climate Voices

Photo essay | December 16, 2009

Experiencing sea-level rise faster than any other place on Earth, these fragile islands are disappearing quickly. In last 20 years four islands have been submerged leaving 6,000 families displaced. It is estimated that 30,000 people will lose their homes by 2020 as 15 percent of the Sundarbans habitable land will be gone.

Increased frequency and strength of tropical storms and higher tides are making the people of the Sundarbans victims of climate change. This is their story.

Photographs by Peter Caton. Interviews Cristiane Aoki.

At the mouth of the Ganges River lies the Sundarbans - 20,000 square kilometres of Unesco protected Mangrove forest stretching between India and Bangladesh. It is home to 500 endangered Bengali tigers, countless crocodiles and around 4.3 million people.